Branded
by Talais
Summary: Yaoi, Duo is wounded and Heero has to find help, what he finds will change Duo and his life forever. This is the real branded, the other was misstitled, sorry.


Author:Talais  
  
Title:Branded  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing or the boys, so don't sue.  
  
/thoughts\  
  
Warnings: AU, not sure what else.  
  
Pairings: ah, 1x2 later  
  
Feed back: yes! Please tell me if I went wrong anywhere, but try to be nice about it. So review!  
  
Okay on to the Fic  
  
______________________________  
  
The Gundam pilot flew with abandon, "Hold on boys, I'm a comin," Duo's voice came over the other four Gundam pilots radios "The God of Death ain't going to miss this big a fight!"  
  
Duo laughed at the thought of what Heero would say. Then laughed again, he wouldn't say anything, Duo thought, Heero never says anything.  
  
"Hey guys thought you needed some help, eh Heero!?" Duo shouted over the radio as he took of three mobile doll heads.  
  
"Hn" Heero grunted as his sabre flew between the arm and body of Deathscythe, the doll behind Duo exploded and Heero and wing turned and continued the fight.  
/Stinkin' guy, doesn't even say hello and makes a stab at you instead, what a guy!\ Duo was soon caught up in a fight himself, the suits weren't much, but there were a lot of them, he noticed that the group seemed to be spreading apart, Quatre and Trowa were still fighting back to back but lately they had really gotten a grove when fighting together. Each reading the others move and complementing it. Causing their defence to become amazing and their attacking something terrible to behold.  
  
Duo's scanner crackled as it picked up a stray frequency, "Prepare to fire." The voice said, Duo looked around searching the area for any unseen targets; there behind him he spotted a cluster of Mobile suits, those are a new model he thought.  
  
"Commence operation" the disembodied voice said over the radio.  
  
Duo turned Deathscythe to face his approaching enemy, the cluster of MS split, into star formation, light powered up along the lines of the formation and a beam fired towards Duo and his Gundam,  
  
"Oh Shit," Duo punched the vernay boosters and tried to dodge the beam; to late, Duo felt the impact throwing him against the display screens of Deathscythe. Blackness swirled around his vision. His hearing was going, it sounded like Heero on the radio,  
  
"Duo, Duo are ya there?"  
  
"Heero, help m...." Duo passed out, his voice was barley a whisper,  
  
Heero reacted to his friend's cry for help, or whisper as the case maybe. Wing soared towards the star formation that was powering up to take a final shot at the Deathscythe. "Yaaa," Heero grunted with the force that he used on the sabre, the star formation of MS exploded. The light seemed as though a sun had been born in the universe, then it was gone, wing zero hovering in the after glow.  
  
Heero looked around for the other Gundam, finding it he grabbed hold of the wreckage that had been Deathscythe. The arms of the Gundam were protectively covering the cockpit; the rest of the Gundam look like twisted and melted steel.  
  
"Quatre I got Duo, Deathscythe is a mess, gotta get him outta here!" Heero said as wing grabbed hold of the wreaked Gundam and shot off away from the battle scene,  
  
"We're almost finished here anyway," the blonde pilots voice responded, "take care of him!"  
  
"Hn" Quatre smiled at the response. I hope those two will be okay he thought, as he brought his Sandrock to bare on a new set of MS.  
  
Heero flew towards a wreckage heap he had noticed on the way to the mission. Flying into the scrap he brought out a shuttle that he had notice before. Heero did a quick run through on the systems and flipped the switch. The shuttle came to life, support systems at full. Moving the shuttle in position with Deathscythe he sealed the air lock and opened the hatch.  
  
Crimson droplets floated out of the cockpit, as the hatch came open, inside Duo was limp. Heero saw that the face mask on the space suit was shattered. Blood was matting his friends' bangs to his forehead.  
  
Heero brought the unconsious boy into the shuttle, closed the air lock and checked the tether from wing to the destroyed Gundam. Seeing that it was secure he hit the autopilot on wing and saw it fly off towards Howard and Peacemillion.  
  
Heero floated towards the helm once he had secured Duo in place, They don't make them like they use to, Heero thought to himself as the shuttle that had to have been an original colony builder roared to life.  
  
The colony came into sight a few minutes later, Heero punched in the access codes and a docking bay door opened, he brought the shuttle in and shut the bay doors before the docking control noticed any irregularities.  
  
Heero opened the ramp and setting Duo over his shoulder walked out of the loading bay and in to the streets of the colony.  
  
The boys quickly ended up in the rough end of town. Heero could tell, by the smell and the fact that the lighting towers were only working at odd intervals that they weren't gonna have to worry about Oz trying to look for the here.  
  
"Hey Kid," Heero shouted to a boy standing on the corner, "You know where there's a motel or anything around here?"  
  
"Sure, but it'll cost ya" Replied the boy.  
  
"Ya whatever, lead the way!"  
  
The kid took Heero down a few streets and pointed at a motel, the sign flickered and it looked like a roach haven but Heero need to get Duo cleaned up.  
  
"Here, get a room." Heero tossed a roll of cash at the kid.  
  
The boy walked into the office and came out a few minutes later. He looked around but didn't see the guy or the one that was passed out.  
  
"Hey, what's the room?" The boy jumped as Heero seemed to materialize out of the shadows.  
  
"Room 2, at the end." The kid started to walk toward the room Heero followed him. He opened the door and followed Heero and Duo into the room.  
  
Heero looked the room over quickly, it wasn't much but it was clean and comfortable. He lay Duo on the bed and went to the washroom taking the ice pale; he filled it with water and took a cloth and towel to the bed.  
  
As Heero walked out of the bathroom he saw the kid out of the corner of his eye. He was in the corner of the room doing something. Heero felt no threat from him so he started to clean the blood off Duo's face. Heero saw a rip in Duo's shirt and pants, blood crusted on both.  
  
Heero pulled out his knife and made a few quick cuts and removed Duo's clothes leaving only his boxers. He tossed the clothes on the floor, Duo's gonna kill me for that, Heero thought to himself. He turned back to Duo and started wiping off more of the blood.  
  
"What happened to that guy?" The voice gave Heero a jump but he answered  
  
"Fight,"  
  
"You and Him"  
  
"No him and 12 other guys,"  
  
"Well I don't do stiffs or anyone unconsious." Heero stopped bathing Duo's cut and looked at the boy.  
  
"What do you...?" Heero jumped up grabbing the towel and wrapping it around the naked boy who was standing beside him. In the corner Heero saw the kids clothes they were in a heap much like Duo's except without the blood. "What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"You hired me; I'll do anything except him!" The kid pointed at Duo as he said this.  
  
Heero couldn't believe it. He had a 12-year-old hooker in his room. "Anything I want?"  
  
"Yeah, but no rough stuff, I can't work if I got burses, and I'll get it when I get back too." As the kid said this Heero noticed reluctance to his eyes. Good that means the kid was doing this to get by, not because he wanted to. He probably needs money to live and there isn't much for a boy of 12 to work at.  
  
"Good, get dressed," Heero walked over to the pile of clothes and picked them up, "Here" Heero started to hand the pile of clothes to the kid when he noticed that they had a smell to them and were covered in grime and dirt. Heero looked at the boy and saw that he was dirty to, it looked like he had been sleeping in these clothes for a while.  
  
"Wait, new plan," Heero said.  
  
The boy took off the towel and walked towards Heero, "No not that, Heero said and grabbed the boy and wrapped the towel around him again. "You take a shower, and watch my friend I'm gonna get these clothes cleaned up and I'll be back.  
  
The boy nodded and went into the shower turning on the water he slipped out of the towel and into the shower, pulling the curtain behind him. His head came out the next second and he asked "do you want to watch?"  
  
"No' Heero said wiping a trickle of blood away from his nose. Heero turned and walked out of the room.  
  
He headed to the main office, behind it through a separate door he found the laundry matt. He walked in and rifled through the kid's pockets, taking out anything he found. He threw it all in the washing machein and started it up getting soap out of the dispenser. Looking down at his shirt he noticed that it was covered in blood, he took it off and threw it in as well. Shutting the lid he noticed that the kids boxers had fallen on the floor and picked them up, as he went to toss them in he felt something like paper in them, he looked at them closely and found a hidden pocket, probably where he keeps his money.  
  
Heero opened the tiny zipped and found an old picture instead of money. It was of a Boy of 6 or 7 holding another boy who might be about 3, they looked like brothers, Must be that kid and his little brother probably that's why he is working the streets.  
  
I wonder if Duo ever had to do something like this, he said that he had a rough street life, stealing and doing anything to make enough to get by, man this is one hell of a way to get by.  
  
Heero looked at the picture as the clothes washed, this kid has the same smile as Duo, I'm gonna have to try and get the kid to smile like that for me, it doesn't look like he has smiled in a while.  
  
In the picture the older boy was holding the younger with a smile from ear to ear. I bet Duo and this kid will get along like peas in a pod. Heero chuckled to himself.  
  
The wash cycle was through and he threw the clothes in the dryer. Turning it on Heero thought to him self, why does everyone make such a fuss about laundry.  
  
Quatre did the laundry at home, after Trowa bleached Duo's outfits, Duo accidentally shrunk everybody's clothes, Wufei just said Me, Wash clothes, the Injustice! And so Quatre did it, although they had never asked him to do it.  
  
Heero looked through the stuff that had come out of the kids pockets, a card with a number on it, probably a pickup number, Heero thought, there was a few dollars and a silver dollar, look like one of the ones that Duo had give Heero a while ago.  
  
The buzzer went on the dryer and Heero pulled out the clothes. He put on his favourite green muscle shirt and headed back to the room. When he got in he heard the shower running and so decided to order something to eat. After he had placed the order he walked over to the bathroom and shouted in the door that was still open, "you alright, haven't drowned on me or anything?"  
  
The kid pulled the shower curtain back and got up, he had been sitting on the floor. He looked at Heero as he wrapped the towel around his waist. Heero tossed him his clothes, "You alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I just lost something that's all." The kid started to dress and looked up to see what the guy was doing, he was surprised to see that Heero wasn't watching him, but was looking through the pile of bloody clothes.  
  
"So you wanna do something now?" The kid asked. He sniffled and rubbed his nose. Heero had been right thinking that he had been crying.  
  
"Sure, take Duo's clothes out to the garbage!" Heero tossed the bloody things at the kid who grabbed them and headed out to the Dumpster, he threw them in and noticed something in the jacket, when he headed back to the room he was smiling. I wonder if this guy is really nice or if he wants to wait to do something when his friend wakes up.  
  
By the time he got back to the room his heart was feeling lighter and he had a small smile on his face.  
  
Heero was on the bed beside Duo, when the kid walked in he called him over "I want to show you something."  
  
Heero noticed the small smile vanished and the boy's eyes seemed to get darker. The kid sat down next to Heero and was pulling off his shirt. Heero caught the bottom of the kid's shirt just as it was going over his head. "Not that sort of something," Heero pulled the kids shirt back on and pointed at Duo's sleeping body.  
  
The kid gasped as he saw small cuts on Duo's face, from the glass of the space helmet. There was a deep cut on his left shoulder, about 3 inches long and another gash on his right leg in the middle of his upper leg.  
  
"You ever see someone get stitched up before?" Heero asked  
  
The kid looked at Heero, "no, hey mister, are you gonna do it?"  
  
"Heero, my name is Heero, and this is Duo, when he wakes up. And you are?" Heero looked at the kid.  
  
"Huh, oh Shinji," The boy answered.  
  
"Okay Shinji, lets sow him up, watch how I do it, this might be useful some day." Heero rummaged through his bag and brought out a small black leather bag. He opened it up and took out some thread and a small curved needle. "Bring the lamp close so I can see better."  
  
Shinji did as he was told and asked "aren't you gonna give him any painkillers?"  
  
"I gave him an inhaled sedative, but pain killers, don't use um don't want um, if you can't take a little pain you ought to just curl up and die." Heero started to sow up the shoulder wound first, Shinji watched carefully. After Heero finished the shoulder, he started on the leg, "It's a bigger cut, but in a less difficult place," Heero said as he started on the gash.  
  
Halfway through he looked up at Shinji, and asked "you wanna try?"  
  
"Won't he get mad?" Shinji said indicating Duo's prone body.  
  
"What he don't know won't hurt him, and you gotta start somewhere right, who better that an unconsious person!" Heero laughed and handed the clamps and needle to Shinji.  
  
They finished up in a short time and Heero tied off the knot. There was a knock at the door and Shinji jumped.  
  
"Pizza" the voice said from behind the door.  
  
"Hai" Heero walked over to the door and looked out the side window making sure it was the pizza guy, the door opened and Heero paid the guy. He shut the door and brought the six pizzas to the small table and waved Shinji to one of the chairs.  
  
"What about him" Shinji asked,  
  
"Watch" Heero looked through a few boxes till he found the one he wanted. He walked over to Duo and opened and closed the lid, wafting the scent of pizza to his sleeping friends nose.  
  
Duo's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt up right, "Anchovies, Peppers and mushroom, my favourite!" Duo said with an evil grin and went to grab the box wincing in pain as he stretched the cut on his shoulder.  
  
"Baka, you got pretty banged up out there, you're gonna have to take it easy for a bit." Heero's monotone voice grated on Duo's nerves, no smile, no hey I'm glad you didn't die just 'you screwed up.'  
  
"What about Deathscythe?" Duo asked easing a slice of pizza to his mouth.  
  
"I have wing on auto. It should be getting back to Peacemillion soon." Duo noticed movement in the corner and looked around Heero.  
  
"Who's the kid?"  
  
"Hn, oh that's Shinji;" Heero looked at the boy. "You were a little hungry ne?  
  
Shinji set down the third empty box turning a violent shade of red, "Um, ish goo," Shinji said around a mouth full of hot pizza.  
  
"He's the one found the motel for us, and helped sow you up."  
  
Duo looked down at the neat stitches in his shoulder and the not so neat, and perhaps a little crooked stitches in his leg, frowning he looked back at Heero who was waving Shinji to bring the pizza over and sit with them on the bed. "Heero, where are my clothes?" Duo said a slight panic in his voice.  
  
"Had to cut them off, they were all covered in blood," Heero shrugged, " we can get you more tomorrow."  
  
"Where are they?" Duo insisted,  
  
Out in the parking lot they heard the Dumpster being emptied, "In the back of that dump truck would be my guess." Duo made to get up and follow it, but Heero lay a hand on his good shoulder and held him in bed, "you're in no condition to go chasing a truck."  
  
Duo relented after he heard the truck round the corner, "Damn, lost it." Duo looked back to Heero and Shinji. Heero tossed something on the bed in front of Duo.  
  
"That what you're looking for?" Heero asked,  
  
Duo picked up the wallet and flipped through it, "Yeah sure, hey where's the money?"  
  
"Who do you think bought the pizza?" Heero looked at Duo, his eyes just begging Duo to complain about it.  
  
"Right," was all Duo said, Heero thought that maybe the wallet wasn't what Duo was missing.  
  
Shinji had finished his fourth box and Heero asked if he wanted any of the fifth. "No it's okay,"  
  
"How's the arm Duo?" Asked Shinji  
  
"Hurts like hell, what I wouldn't do for a painkiller!" Duo said tenderly messaging his shoulder.  
  
"Pain killers? Don't use um, don't want um, if you can't take a little pain you ought to curl up and die." Shinji said and looked at Heero. Heero smiled at him and ruffled his hair.  
  
Duo just looked at Heero, "What are you teaching this kid." And why is he so nice to this kid, Duo thought, I mean would it kill him to talk to me that way, rather than death warmed over. Shinji got up and headed to the bathroom, His shoulder length hair split and Duo noticed a burn mark, a branding, it looked like a salamander.  
  
"Hey Heero, that kid is a prostitute," Duo whispered to Heero.  
  
"I know" Heero said, "but how do you know?"  
  
"The branding on his neck, the pimps do that so that everyone knows who own the hooker. It stops people from stealing from them." Duo looked after the kid, he can't be much older than 12, man reminds me of me!  
  
"Branding?" Heero said looking a little confused.  
  
"Yeah on the back of his neck, where did you get him anyway?"  
  
"On the street, I asked if he knew where a motel was and then I got him to get us a room, I didn't want to take you in there." Heero said then looking at his friend "why?"  
  
Duo was laughing, "That's how you pick up a young hooker, let them choose the spot and get the room, they set it up on their turf and that way if things get bad, they just have to ring and there out of there."  
  
"Has he tried anything yet," Duo asked  
  
"Yeah, said he would do anything except you, no stiffs or unconscious people." Heero said. "Well that's a surprise, got standards, that will keep him a little safer." Duo shook his head.  
  
"Duo, how do you know about branding?"  
  
Duo looked at his friend, could he tell him, "Ah what the hell."  
  
Duo leaned forward and flipped his braid over his shoulder, and showed Heero his brand. It was a horse reared up on its hind legs, it had a tattoo of a man in a black cloak riding on the horse and in his hand was a scythe.  
  
"The horse was his branding; the tattoo of the cloaked figure was to show I was one of the best." Duo paused, letting it sink in. "The scythe is my own addition. I put it in after I killed my pimp. I was 9."  
  
Duo sat back and looked at Heero, he was startled to see pity in his eyes, "Hey no worries. You do what you have to do till you can find something better." Duo smiled, although Heero noticed that it didn't reach his eyes.  
  
"I' sorry Duo, I wasn't sure." Heero put a hand on Duo's shoulder.  
  
"Well it's over now." Duo tried to act a little brighter, "Where's our little friend?"  
  
There was a crash from the bathroom and the door burst open Shinji came out a man behind him, with a knife to Shinji's throat. "Is this the Trick?" Asked the man in a threatening tone.  
  
"No, he's a friend." Shinji answered.  
  
"Friend eh, I make friends pay double." The man smacked Shinji, and sent him sprawling, he grabbed a switch from his belt and Swung down at Shinji. "15 minutes for a fuck, 5 minutes for a suck."  
  
The switch landed four blows in the blink of an eye; none of them hit Shinji. Heero had thrown himself over Shinji's little body and hugged him keeping him from getting hit.  
  
Heero's back had four slashes, "Kisama." Heero's voice was a low growl. "You dare to hit this child?"  
  
The pimp slashed down at Heero. A dozen more hits in a second. The pimp stopped to get a better swing and to inflict more pain on this meddle some kid. Heero didn't need the few seconds that the pimp gave him.  
  
In an instant Heero had jumped off Shinji and hit the pimp with the heal of his hand driving the pimps nose into his brain.  
  
The pimp blinked, then dropped to his knees and then his face, dead, a pool of blood spreading out from his head. Heero slumped down against a chair, to sore to move.  
  
Shinji was beside Heero in an instant. Heero noticed that duo was swaying on his feet hold holding Heero's gun, aimed at where the pimps head had been. "Why," Shinji whispered to Heero, hugging his neck.  
  
"No kid should have to do that to make money." Heero looked at Duo as he said this. Duo smiled, this time it reached his eyes.  
  
"Now I'm in for it." Shinji whimpered  
  
"What do you mean?" Heero asked turning to the boy that was hugging his neck and making it a little hard to breathe.  
  
"Because his pimp is dead and he was the last one seen with him," Duo said, at the look of confusion in Heero's eyes Duo continued. "The other pimps will fight over the rest of the prostitutes, but Shinji, they'll kill him."  
  
"You got everything you need Duo?" Heero asked.  
  
Duo looked at Heero and nodded.  
  
Heero disentangled himself from Shinji and got up walking to his duffle bag he pulled out a fresh shirt and pants and tossed them to Duo, "Not your colour but I don't think you wanna run around in your boxers right?"  
  
Heero pulled off the remaining strips of his favourite muscle shirt. Duo looked at Heero's back; it had a lot in common with ground beef. Heero looked through his bag again and took out a clean shirt for himself, and carefully pulled it on.  
  
"Your leaving," Shinji said, tears running down his cheeks.  
  
"Yeah, and your coming." Heero started for the door, "let's go Duo, Shinji."  
  
Shinji and Duo were staring at Heero; he turned and looked at them in turn, "What?"  
  
"GO!? Your bleeding, where are you going like that?" Duo and Shinji said in unison.  
  
Heero grinned at them. "Well then, we better get to the shuttle before I pass out. I don't think that either of you can carry me. So lets get going."  
  
Duo and Shinji looked at one another, then back to Heero. "BAKA." They said together,  
  
"Well, I'm going." With that Heero walked, stumbled out the door. A few seconds later Shinji caught up to him Duo limping behind. Shinji took Heero's duffle bag from him and it was a sign of how bad Heero was hurt that he didn't put up a fuss.  
  
____  
  
The boys made it to the hanger, and slipped into the old shuttle, Shinji was helping Heero by this time. As they entered the shuttle Heero fell to the ground, breathing raggedly. Duo helped Shinji take him to one of the cots that lined the back wall of the cabin.  
  
"We're going to need some supplies," Duo took Heero's wallet, and smirked, "this time you can buy!"  
  
Duo chuckled and went to buy some needed food and supplies, Shinji tried to make Heero more comfortable. He removed Heero's shirt and gasped.  
  
Heero's back was cut to ribbons, for him, Heero had saved him. Why? Why did you try to save me he thought, What have I ever done for you!  
  
Heero had regained consciousness and looked over at the blurry person beside him, "No tears Duo, no worries, where's Shinji." Heero couldn't tell if he had just spoken or not. Duo mmight just think that he was delerious.  
  
Heero slipped into blackness again, Shinji wiped away the tears that had been falling on Heero's face, no tears, and no worries. Shinji sat beside Heero watching him, waiting for him to wake again. Heero seemed to flinch and twitch in his blackness, mumbling every now and again, Shinji stayed close, hoping to here something reassuring.  
  
"Smile, wanna see him smile," Heero muttered "Kid smiles like Duo, wanna see that." Heero continued talking every now and again in his sleep. Shinji watching him, fighting back the tears that were brimming in his eyes.  
  
"I'll smile for you, just wake up and see." Shinji wiped his eyes again and held on to Heero's hand.  
  
****  
"Damn, baka, why the hell did he do that," Duo walked towards a grocery store, cursing. People crossed the street, and mothers covered their children's ears. "Heero what were you thinking, stupid."  
  
Duo continued to rant and curse as he picked up the food that they would need, and some first aid supplies, disinfectant and a few mangas, He walked to the check out line and dropped the stuff on the counter. The woman punched it through trying not to listen to Duo's stream of profanity.  
  
"65.52 sir," The cashier said  
  
"Hn, yeah right," Duo fished Heero's wallet out of his pocket and opened it, taking out the money he looked through it a little, He never lets me see this thing, Duo thought, he doesn't have much money in it, I wonder what he's hiding.  
  
Taking the change Duo put the groceries over his shoulder and walked back looking through Heero's wallet. There wasn't a whole lot there really, few credit cards, a business card and a couple of receipts. Duo flipped through the inner pockets and found a picture, two actually,  
  
He looked at the one on top, and almost dropped the bag he was carrying. It was a picture of Heero and himself back on earth. Duo had dragged Heero into a picture booth and had given him one of the shots, I thought he had thrown it away.  
  
Duo could clearly remember that day. Heero had thrown it out. He must have gone back for it later. The other picture was folded up and looked old, he unfolded it and scowled at it. "I'm gonna kill you!"  
  
Duo put everything back into Heero's wallet, except the old photo and walked back to the hanger where Heero and Shinji were waiting.  
  
As the shuttle hatch opened Duo saw that Shinji was curled up on the cot beside Heero, that little bastard, Duo thought feeling just a little bit jealous of the kids ability to get close to Heero; without getting hit.  
  
Duo opened the med supplies and got some hot water a cloth and started to clean Heero up, He had woken Shinji up and told him to get the food ready, he thought that this type of shuttle had a heating element in the back compartment.  
  
Heero was brought out of the surrounding blackness, by a pain that just would not go away. His eyes opened and he saw Duo rubbing his back, a little rougher than was absolutely necessary, "Oi, just cause it looks like ground beef don't mean it is!" Heero tried to hide the flinch, as Duo rubbed excessively hard over his tender back.  
  
"Why," Duo asked Heero  
  
"Why what?" Heero said looking at his friend slash torturer at the time.  
  
"Why did you take my photo, what right do you have to?"  
  
"What, you gave it to me, at the park remember, you said 'Here Hee- chan, somthin to remember me by!' and rammed it into my hands. Then I hit you called you a baka." Heero was a little bewildered at the question, then he realized what had happened.  
  
Heero reached around to his back pocket and noticed his wallet was missing, "I was a thief, remember, and it ain't hard when there passed out."  
  
"Why did you take it?" Duo said again, "why would you want it."  
  
"It was a picture of a good time with a close friend," Heero said quietly.  
  
"Oh not that picture baka," Duo pulled out the old photo and opened it up carefully, showing Heero. Shinji had just walked in from behind the room. "This photo!"  
  
"That's not yours," Heero said  
  
"THAT IS MINE!" Duo shouted at the same time as Shinji did.  
  
Heero blinked, and looked at Duo, "Duo, that is Shinji's I found it when I did his laundry for him!"  
  
"No Heero, this is mine, this is me and my little brother, this is the only thing I have before I was taken from my family, he is the only face I remember!" Duo had tears in his eyes, "Why do you have to try to hurt me, constantly tormenting me, belittling me. Argh,"  
  
Duo got up and started to walk away from Heero, when he felt a hand grab his arm, "Leave me alone Heero," Duo said as he shook the hand off, Shinji fell on the floor with a thud.  
  
Duo turned to help his friend up when he noticed that it was Shinji. Shinji held out a picture to Duo, and just looked at him.  
  
"What's this?" Duo snatched the picture from the kid. He was seriously starting to dislike this kid. Mainly because Heero seemed to like him so much, why can't he be nice to me?  
  
Duo looked at the photo, and his legs gave way from under him, he hit the ground beside Shinji, to surprised to speak. "What, Duo." Heero asked. "What do you have?"  
  
Duo just held up the picture that Shinji had given to him, and the picture that he had found in Heero's wallet. Heero looked at one and then the other, they were the same.  
  
"Explain!" Heero said to Shinji.  
  
"That is my brother, and me it was taken a week before he disappeared." Shinji started, " mom went nuts after a few years and the colony aid services took me away, they sent me to this colony and I was living with a foster home, but I ran away after a few weeks."  
  
"My foster parents were abusive and cruel, I left to find my brother, but I was taken along the way," Shinji rubbed the back of his neck, "They put me out on the streets after a few weeks of their training."  
  
"So, you two are brothers?!" Heero said in amazement.  
  
Brothers, I found my brother, Both boys seemed to be smiling like buffoons as they thought about it, Heero laughed. "Yup, only your brother could smile like that Duo!"  
  
The three boys sat down to the meal that Shinji had prepared and talked, well Heero listened more than anything, having to try to stay conscious was all he was up to at the time.  
  
After hours of talking Duo remembered About Heero, "Right, guess I ought to fix you up, sorry."  
  
"Aa." Heero grunted as he tried to focus on the near by wall. But the damn thing kept going blurry. Duo gently pushed Heero with a finger, and Heero keeled over on the cot.  
  
He lay on his stomach as Duo finished cleaning the cuts on his back. This time in a much gentler way. Heero slipped into a sleep listening to the two brothers talking as they dabbed ointment into the wounds.  
  
When Heero woke up he heard laughter, and a lot of it.  
  
"He did that!?"  
  
"Yup, stole the parts off my Gundam to fix his own, worked the whole damn night, kept waking me up, with his cursing and then flew off to the mission."  
  
"Cool,"  
  
"There was nothing cool about it, I had to buy new parts for my Gundam, and it cost a lot of money."  
  
"Yeah but he's so cool, falling out a hospital ward window and still living,"  
  
"Well, he broke his leg on that one, set it right in front of me too. Uhh, I can still here the sucking and popping noise it made."  
  
"When you're done talking about he behind my back, can I maybe get a little food here!" Duo and Shinji jumped at the sound of Heero's voice.  
  
"Hai" the brothers chimed in at the same time.  
  
Heero looked at one face to another, why hadn't he seen it before, Shinji looked like a younger version of Duo, righ down to his shoulder langth hair. Heero noticed that it was no longer loose, like before. Now it was in a braid, very similar to Duo's.  
  
The two got up and started fussing with the bandages, checking how Heero was healing up. "Stop it, Duo get me some food. I feel like I haven't eaten in a week."  
  
"Try four days," Duo said as he left to get Heero a bite to eat. "Shi- chan, don't pester him too much, he is a grouch."  
  
"I am not." Heero said. Shinji sat down next to Heero, "where are we?" He asked the younger boy.  
  
"On our way to Peacemillion. Duo said he had some friends he wanted to show me off too." Shinji turned a little red, "I hope they like me."  
  
"Who couldn't like you. You're the cutest lookin' kid this side of the galaxy." Heero ruffled Shinji's hair, wincing as the scabs on his back cracked and started to seep again.  
  
In the door way Duo smiled, he had a little brother, and he thought that Heero's emotional armor was showing cracks. Now to slip through those cracks and touch the boy inside. 


End file.
